The NHL last played in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. But fear not, it will play this season. / Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports

by Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Sports

by Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Sports

Talks between NHL owners and players broke off Thursday, no new talks are currently scheduled and another round of game cancellations was announced on Monday. But USA TODAY Sports columnist Kevin Allen still believes there will be an NHL season. Here are his five reasons:

1. The cards are all on the table: Last week's negotiations, at the very least, took the mystery out of the bargaining sessions. Owners revealed clearly what is important to them, namely a 50-50 split of revenue and a five-year cap on contract lengths, with a 5% variance limit from year to year. Plus, they want a 10-year collective bargaining agreement. Players' positions also are well-established. There should be no confusion now about where we are in these negotiations and what still needs to be discussed.

2. The gap isn't as wide as it once was: Players believe there isn't much separating their stance from the owners' position. Owners believe the gap is bigger than players do because they made it clear that their last offer was contingent on players accepting the five-year individual contract cap, a 10-year CBA length and some transition rules. Players haven't accepted any of those. But both sides know where they have to go to get a deal done, and, under anyone's definition, the leap is not as big as it once was.

3. There's still time for a 48-game season: If we start Jan. 1 and end the regular season on April 15, we would have a 105-day regular season. That's 15 weeks. That would mean playing three games a week and four games every five weeks. The two sides would have to get a deal done over the next 10 days to start on Jan. 1.

4. A 10-year CBA could be in everyone's best interest: It is not a reach for players to give in on a 10-year CBA. Union chief Donald Fehr's concerns are valid: Future players deserve a right to have a say in their future, and it's impossible to know what the country's or league's economic future will be. However, most players I've talked to don't want to go through another CBA fight in their careers. They would like a 10-year guarantee of no lockouts. It could also help mitigate damage to the game by selling to fans and sponsors on the idea that they won't have to go through this again for a decade.

5. There's way too much for both sides to lose: Players would lose more than $1 billion in salary if the NHL season is canceled. Then, they would be still be facing concessions when play is resumed. It's not a practical position to allow that to happen. As everyone's grandmother used to say, losing the season on a stand on what you believe to be principle is like cutting off your nose to spite your face. But it's really not much different from the owners' perspective. All of them have other income other than hockey, but they are risking heavy, long-term damage to the game, particularly in the newer NHL markets. The NHL has been growing steadily, and fan backlash could destroy that progress. Both sides seem to understand this. That's why moderate owners entered the picture last week and players agreed to meet with owners without Fehr and Commissioner Gary Bettman present. There are people on both sides of the aisle to reach an agreement that will prevent the NHL from going over the fiscal cliff.